Unexpected Eden

by Rhenna Morgan

  “We have to do something. She saved me.” So much blood. Too much.

  “Lexi, look at me.”

  She wrenched her head up.

  Eryx filled her vision, blurred by tears. “Galena can’t help us. This woman’s human. I can try to help her, but I could kill her just as easily.”

  No! A silent wail inside Lexi’s head, Brenna’s innocent face plastered front and center in her mind. Not fair. Not right. She’d saved Lexi. Not once, but twice, despite her fear.

  “It’s your call.”

  She opened her eyes, hope clamoring for purchase. “Will she make it? If we stop the bleeding, will she make it? Maybe we could take her to Evad?”

  Eryx shook his head. “I’ll never get her there in time. She’s losing too much blood.”

  She’d promised Brenna she’d be safe. Damn it to hell, this night wasn’t ending this way. “Do it.”

  Eryx swallowed, his eyes heavy with gravity she couldn’t comprehend. “Clear the men,” he said to Ludan over his shoulder. As he had the night of their mating with the gash along his arm, he focused on Brenna’s blood-soaked wound.

  Brenna convulsed and her tiny frame rippled at the invasion of Eryx’s energy.

  Chapter 31

  “Damn it, Ramsay. If you don’t get out of my way I’ll make sure your bowels work overtime for the next year.” Galena crossed her arms.

  Fear swept across her brother’s face, not much, but enough to know he took her threat seriously.

  Two guards hovering in front of Reese’s holding cell gave her odd looks.

  To heck with them. And everyone else. “So, what’s it going to be?” The overbearing crap her brothers and their cronies had dished out since returning home was getting out of hand. “Let me in to help him or use your troops as food tasters?”

  Hmph. Let the two little bastards behind him know they’d suffer too.

  Ramsay jerked her to one side and lowered his voice. “Lena, what the hell’s gotten into you? He’s a prisoner. He fought with the Rebellion. Worse, he tried to kill you. Who in their right mind would want to go in there and try to save him?”

  The Great One save her from shortsighted men. “For starters, Reese didn’t try to kill me. He only did it hoping someone would kill him. And Jagger would have if I hadn’t diverted him.”

  At least that’s what she thought Reese had intended. Why else would he have let the strike fade to nothing?

  “And you damned near got yourself killed in the process.” He was up close and personal now, nostrils flared. “What if Jag hadn’t adjusted in time? Do you think he could’ve lived with that?”

  Galena snorted. Ramsay and his theatrics could go to histus. “Jagger? Not be precise? Please. Could any of your elite team not be precise?” She stepped back and flecked a non-existent piece of lint from her gown. It matched her eyes perfectly. Picking her favorite gown this morning had nothing to do with healing a traitor. She just wanted to protect whatever information he could provide. Nothing more.

  “Has it crossed your testosterone-laden mind he might be willing to give us information about Maxis? Something that might actually help us?” She backed off and cupped her cheek in mock surprise. “Oh, wait. Not if he’s dead.”

  Ramsay’s lips flatlined, a storm of anger brewing behind his steel gray eyes. “You have no idea who this man is or what he’s capable of.”

  Galena’s confidence stumbled. Ramsay was the easygoing twin. The one who cracked inappropriate jokes at even more inappropriate times. If he was this uptight, she needed to pay attention—no matter what her own instincts might insist.

  She held her breath, and held her ground. One heartbeat. Two. Three.

  “But you’re right. If he has information, we’re wise to use it.” He stepped back to let her pass. “I’ll keep my distance, but I’m going in with you.”

  Galena nodded, more shaken by the interlude with her brother than she cared to admit. “Fine, but hurry up. The way you warriors process injuries, there’s no telling what kind of infection he could have by now.”

  Gathering her bag of herbs, Galena braced for the zeolite’s impact. The dark, energy-zapping caves gave her the creepy-crawlies. The whole thing was downright depressing. How she was going to heal the man with only herbs in such a dismal environment escaped her, but she knew better than to ask Ramsay for more than she’d already won.

  She ducked into the cell and the crystal’s power-stealing impact ripped through her chest.

  Silence. Prickles danced along her scalp. Had he already passed?

  “Reese?” A whisper and still her query battered at her ears. Two meager candles burned in the corner, the only light allowed for fear the imprisoned would find a way to stream energy through the usual light tubes.

  Candlelight danced over him, stretched out along a crude cot.

  “Reese? It’s Galena.” She took a few steps forward and sensed more than saw Ramsay’s hesitation at the door. “I’d like to check your wounds.” She crept closer and set her bundle on the bedside table. When he still didn’t respond, she reached out for his undamaged shoulder. The warmth beneath her hand filled her with hope and alarm. He wasn’t dead, but raging with fever.

  Pulling scented candles from her bag, Galena quickly lit them using those already burning on the table. Healing scents and brightness flooded the room. “Ramsay, I need water.”

  Ramsay snapped to attention and issued orders to the guards beyond.

  Charred and jagged, the wound was on the shoulder closest to her. She traced the edges and the scent of forest and sandalwood wafted from his skin. The combination messed with her insides in a not altogether unpleasant way. Brown-gold strands clung to his temples, tethered by sweat. Shallow breaths pushed and pulled between his full, dry lips.

  “I have to heal you with herbs since we can’t let you out.” Could he hear her? Would he even want to? “It’ll draw the fever out, but will take longer. It will hurt and I’m sorry for that, but I want you to live.”

  Other words trailed in her mind. Awkward words. Words that left her feeling traitorous, but she owned and accepted them nonetheless. She lowered her voice further so Ramsay wouldn’t hear.

  “Reese. I need you to live.”

  * * * *

  Eryx lay in bed, fingers buried in his baineann’s hair, legs tangled with hers. In the short time they’d been together, they’d always woken this way, two bodies gravitating toward their perfect fit.

  Midday sun poured through the windows, well over fifteen hours since they’d fallen asleep. He didn’t think he’d ever been so close to losing consciousness, his energy nearly depleted by the time they’d finally made it home.

  Lexi had been a different story. Between the bit with Cutter, two deaths, and Ian’s disappearance, she’d been wound extra tight. Ludan had talked her into resting, promising he and Jagger would search for Ian if she’d sleep.

  The whole homecoming scene replayed in his head and Eryx choked back a chuckle. Grown men fighting to fuss over one woman. Even Ludan. In the end he’d had to kick them out. They might have grown to accept and adore her, but he needed her. To feel her curled next to him. Feel her breath against his chest. If Brenna hadn’t intervened…

  Lexi rubbed her cheek against his chest, a contented purr rumbling from her chest. “Worried I’ll run away?” She wriggled inside his arms.

  “Sorry, hellcat.” He loosened his grip and stroked her back.

  She breathed in deep. A slow, sultry sound that got his dick very on board with an intimate wake up call. “Don’t be.” She caressed his chest and met his eyes. “As long as I wake up next to you, I don’t care what wakes me.” Her eyelids were heavy with sleep. Lena’s easy touch had wiped the vulgar bruise Cutter had left on her cheek away like chalk. The callous burns at her wrists were gone as well, but he doubted her memories would ever heal. His certainl
y wouldn’t.

  His heartbeat raced at the thought. It was too bad Ludan had snapped Cutter’s neck. Eryx would have healed him just for the gratification of drawn out torture.

  Lexi pushed back. “Something wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  Lexi snapped to attention. “Ludan and Jagger. Have you heard from them?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing yet.”

  She pulled her knees tight and wrapped her arms around them, lips screwed up tight. Gone was the peace of moments before, anxiety streaming from every pore.

  They’d barely talked of what had happened. His most immediate concerns had been with seeing to his men and tying up loose ends from the battle. They’d lost no warriors, but a few had sustained serious injuries. Those from Maxis’ camp hadn’t been so lucky.

  “You can’t ignore what happened.” Eryx fought the urge to squirm. Deep down, he wasn’t sure he wanted the details. The idea of what Lexi had endured made him more rabid animal than man. But her soul couldn’t afford to bury it.

  She smoothed the silk sheets. “I know what you’re thinking, but Brenna got there before…” A shiver rocked her.

  “It wouldn’t change anything with me.”

  Lexi grew silent and her face turned a waxen gray. “I was in this position before.”

  For a second, he thought she wouldn’t say anything more. No way was he moving. He barely dared to breathe for fear he’d startle whatever confession waited.

  “I was fourteen and in a new foster home. The father…” She scraped a nail against the silk and locked her gaze on the path she’d drawn. “Well, he liked young girls. The authorities learned I wasn’t the first he’d tried anything with.” She rolled to her side and laid a fist on his chest. “He never had the satisfaction of getting anything from me. And I was the last one he’ll ever hurt.” She swallowed and lifted her gaze. “Because I killed him.”

  His lungs burned and screamed for air, but he wasn’t about to move. One wrong action and he’d shatter the moment.

  She stared at his collarbone. “I didn’t mean to. It was just reaction. The wrong place for him, the right place for me and a knife. The police investigated, found a trail of other girls, and they moved me. That was it.” She looked up, her lips shaking no matter how hard she pressed them together between her words. “The first time for me was when I chose for it to happen. Brenna wasn’t that lucky. Maxis raped her. She didn’t say as much, but her face said it plain enough.”

  He pulled her close and offered a silent thanks to his Creator. For her trust. Her beating heart next to his. “Brenna’s safe, and Maxis isn’t stupid enough to go for you twice. Not that any of our men will leave you alone now.”

  Lexi pushed against his chest, trying to wriggle free. “Did Ramsay ever find anything about the guard who took me?”

  Eryx let her sit up. Barely. He doubted he’d let her have much distance for the next century or two. “We only know that a quaran and the guard who took you are missing. Whether they’re in league together or the quaran is missing for some other reason, we don’t know. It was a hell of an inside job, even for Maxis. It’s not easy to get past Ramsay when taking the warrior’s oath. If one or both of them flipped allegiance, it would have had to happen afterward.”

  Lexi smoothed the silk covering Eryx’s stomach. Her touch was torture. The woman’s touch did twitchy shit to his anatomy. “How can we know if others are part of his scheme?”

  The space behind his eyes throbbed with determination. “Everyone will be scanned thoroughly from here out. On a regular basis. If there are dissenters in the ranks, they’ll flee before they can be checked. A traitor wouldn’t exactly be treated well if uncovered while surrounded by loyal warriors.”

  “You awake, sunshine?” Ludan. His somo had exceptionally rotten timing.

  Eryx pushed from the bed, snatched Lexi’s robe, and held it open.

  “What?” Despite her question, she crawled from their bed and stuffed her arms in the black silk.

  He wrapped the sides around her and cinched the belt tight. “Company,” he murmured and kissed her temple. “Your errand boys are back.” He snatched a pair of pants and a tank from the closet.

  Lexi was hot on his heels, her curiosity suffering zero damage from the prior day’s events. “Did they say anything?”

  He stepped into ivory linen pants. “They wouldn’t do that. Not without you there. Not on this topic.” He pulled on the tank and snatched her hand. “Come on, we’ll meet them and Ramsay downstairs. I’ve had enough of people filing in and out of our bedroom.”

  Lexi dug in her heels. “I can’t go down there in a robe!”

  He curved his arm around her back and pulled her close, nestling his nose alongside hers. “You can do anything you damn well please. You’re a malress.” He kissed her before she could argue, fusing their lips in a slick, heated tangle. Maybe business could wait an hour. Or two.

  She pulled away, the first smile he’d seen in hours stretched across her face. “You’re insatiable.”

  “I’m only getting started.” Eryx tapped her nose and reclaimed her hand, threading their fingers together. “Come.” He guided her through the foyer, reining in his strides to match her shorter ones, to a large wall tucked beneath the curving staircase. He pushed the two oversized engraved panels open with his mind.

  Lexi gasped. “You’ve never shown me this before.”

  Books of varying ages and colors lined deep chocolate shelves, and brilliant sunlight streamed through four large arched windows at the rear of the room. The soft gray stone floors were covered with thick burgundy rugs inlaid with depictions of the Shantos emblem in platinum and black.

  Lexi caressed the top of a black wingback chair, one of many arranged for conversation along the room. She honed in on the two regal chairs centered between the arched windows at the front. At either side, two elaborate desks sat angled so they nestled into the corners.

  “I refused to use this room after my father died. It didn’t feel right without my mate.” Eryx cupped her nape. “It feels right now.”

  She smiled and his heart warmed. The same slow, steady heat as the sun through the window on the stone floors.

  “Man, this is odd.” Ramsay’s voice cut through the quiet moment, and footsteps bounced off the ornate, gold ceilings. “I haven’t been in here for ages.”

  Eryx faced the new arrivals, spinning Lexi with him.

  Ludan and Jagger sauntered in behind Ramsay, dressed in human attire from their trip to Evad.

  “Ah, man.” Lexi moaned. “The next time you guys go over, stop by my place and grab more of my clothes. The dresses are great, but sometimes a pair of old jeans is just what a girl needs.”

  Ludan lifted one eyebrow. “I’ll go get you every pair you own right now if you promise to wear some to the next council meeting.”

  “You stir the pot enough,” Eryx said. “Now, tell me what you found.”

  Ludan cast a glance at his comrades then turned his attention to Eryx. “We hit Ian’s house first. Figured Serena got the badge there and hoped they’d left behind clues.”

  “And?”

  Ludan’s gaze slid to Lexi. “Mild signs of struggle. Nothing to go on.” He ended on an up note, a hint of something left unspoken.

  “What’s the rest of it?” Eryx asked.

  Ludan pulled out a billfold-sized photograph from his back pocket. He dragged his index finger up and down the edge of the picture. “Things are getting interesting.” He held the picture out toward Eryx.

  Son of a bitch. He took the photo. “Jillian.”

  Lexi leaned closer. “That’s Ian’s wife. She disappeared about eighteen years ago. Devastated the hell out of him. But I don’t think her name was Jillian. I think it was Madeline.” She looked at each man in turn. “What? That’s all I know. Except she was pregnant at the time.
They never did settle the case, but Ian never stopped looking.”

  Eryx angled the photo so Lexi could see it better. “Look at it again. Didn’t you meet Jillian the other day?”

  Lexi’s jaw dropped, and she snatched the picture from Eryx. “Holy shit.” She angled her head, eyebrows dipped down in a V. “You think his wife was Jillian’s mother?”

  “And Ian’s her father,” Jagger added.

  “That’s crazy.”

  “Is it?” Eryx asked gently. “Put yourself in his wife’s place, Lexi. She was about to bring a child into the world. If she was Myren, she couldn’t tell Ian where she was from. He’d either think she was nuts or she’d be punished if her revelation was ever discovered. Think about her deciding her daughter’s future. A daughter who would most likely be born with gifts that would want out once she hit a certain age. Remember the signs you felt?”

  Lexi backed into one of the thrones and plunked to a sit. She looked good there. Damned good. And would have said so if the moment had been a little less intense.

  “But she left him. It almost killed him.” Her voice was thick with disbelief, filled with pain for her friend.

  “How do you know it didn’t kill her?” Ludan, always so blunt. “Jillian was barely one when we found her. They lived in a rundown shack on the edges of Asshur. Mom was dead, kid was starving. Natural causes from what we could tell, but we never found a father.”

  Eryx smoothed his hand along Lexi’s shoulder, but her eyes stayed fixated on the face in the picture. “What matters is he very likely has a daughter. All the more reason to find him.”

  “We don’t have any clues to go on.” She looked up, her tension palpable. “The men Jagger noticed in Asshur tells us almost nothing. You’ve said combing the places we know will take significant time. What’s to keep Maxis from killing him?”

  Eryx sprawled in the chair beside hers. He pulled her hand into his lap and caressed her knuckles. “He told you himself. Ian’s his insurance policy. A tool for negotiation if he needs it. He’s not going to kill him. Not unless he’s backed into a corner. That will give us time to find him.”